Pune vs Delhi, 31st Match

That ends another exciting clash between two power packed sides. We do hope you enjoyed following this game with us, do join us for the match between Kolkata and Deccan which is going to start shortly.

Sehwag: I think Pune recovered well but 140-150 is chaseable on this track. You just need to apply yourself and hit the gaps. It is good to be on top of the table. It is all because of my bowlers who restricted Pune to a chaseable score and after that it became very easy for the batsmen.

Ganguly: We lost a couple of wickets early and we probably didn't get enough runs. We still had 8 wickets in hand at the end and we should have got to 180-190. We will have to find ways of scoring even if we lose wickets.

Sehwag is the Man of the Match for his 87 off 48 balls

That seals an emphatic victory for Delhi. The visitors completely outplayed Pune today and finished the game off with ease. Sehwag and Mahela started off well but then Delhi suffered an early hiccup when the latter was run out. Sehwag then powered on along with Pietersen and the duo went on to destroy Pune's bowling attack. Piertersen did perish evetually but Sehwag stuck it out in the middle and carried Delhi through to a comfortable win.

Mahela: After the last match where we made a lot of mistakes I think we have come back well. Our bowlers bowled really well today. There are a lot of new guys in the team and we are just figuring out the way to go. We are getting a lot of things right but we can still play better. It is a long tournament and anything can happen so we can't be complacent. Sehwag has given a lot of the boys the freedom to have their own game plan. We don't have very long team meetings but we have very effective ones. We will have hiccups once in a while but we have to try and make sure we play well consistently.

Mahela comes out of the dugout and gives Sehwag a hug. So that sacrifice of sorts worked out well for Delhi

15.6 Rahul Sharma to Sehwag, SIX, Sehwag finishes it off in style! Short on middle and leg. Sehwag waits on the back foot and just heaves it over the fence at long on for a maximum! That finishes the game for Delhi

15.5 Rahul Sharma to Sehwag, FOUR, well as they say fortune favours the brave! Tossed up outside the off stump. Sehwag tries to go over extra cover but ends up slicing it to deep backward point for a boundary

15.4 Rahul Sharma to Ross Taylor, 1 run, short outside the off stump. Ross Taylor cuts it to sweeper cover for a single

15.3 Rahul Sharma to Sehwag, 1 run, angled in to the pads. Sehwag tucks it with ease to deep mid wicket

14.1 Kartik to Ross Taylor, no run, flighted on the off stump. Ross Taylor defends it off the front foot

13.6 Rahul Sharma to Sehwag, no run, tossed up outside the off stump quite wide as well. Sehwag lets it go through to the keeper but to his shock the wide isn't given. That looked to go past the guiding line. Sehwag throws a fit and has a long discussion with the umpire. There go the fairplay points. If you ask me there should be something to deduct points from the umpire as well

13.5 Rahul Sharma to Ross Taylor, 1 run, flighted on the off stump. Ross Taylor gets onto the front foot and taps it to cover point

13.3 Rahul Sharma to Sehwag, FOUR, Sehwag is on a roll now! Short outside the off stump. Sehwag opens the face of the bat and slices it over the infield. The ball goes to deep backward point for a boundary

13.2 Rahul Sharma to Sehwag, no run, drifting in to middle and leg. Sehwag punches it to the man at mid-on

13.1 Rahul Sharma to Sehwag, no run, flighted outside the off stump. Sehwag comes down the track and reaches out for it. The ball goes to the man at cover

12.6 Kartik to Sehwag, 1 run, drifting in to leg stump. Sehwag flicks it away to deep mid wicket for an easy single to keep the strike

12.5 Kartik to Ross Taylor, 1 run, flighted on the off stump. Ross Taylor gets onto the front foot and turns it to deep square leg

12.5 Kartik to Ross Taylor, wide, Kartik slides this one down the leg side

12.4 Kartik to Ross Taylor, no run, bounce and turn for Kartik. Tossed up outside off, Ross Taylor tries to cut it away but gets beaten by the turn

12.3 Kartik to Sehwag, 1 run, on the off stump. Sehwag drives it on the up to long off

12.2 Kartik to Sehwag, FOUR, great timing! Short on middle and off. Sehwag whips it away with supreme timing to mid wicket for a boundary

11.6 Rahul Sharma to Ross Taylor, 1 run, flighted on the pads. Ross Taylor glances it to short fine leg for a comfortable single

11.5 Rahul Sharma to Sehwag, 1 run, tossed up on leg stump. Pitches and turns away from the right hander. Sehwag tries to sweep it away to the on side but gets an edge onto his pads. The ball trickles away to point for a single

11.3 Rahul Sharma to Ross Taylor, no run, slightly short outside the off stump. Ross Taylor cuts it to the man at point. Sehwag thinks about a single but is sent back by his partner. Confusion in the middle of the pitch again

11.2 Rahul Sharma to Sehwag, 1 run, tossed up on the off stump. Sehwag drives it to sweeper cover for a single

Ross Taylor, right handed bat, comes to the crease

11.1 Rahul Sharma to Pietersen, out Caught by Ryder!! Spin does the trick for Pune! A little too late perhaps. Tossed up on middle and leg. Pitches and spins away from the right hander. Pietersen gets down on one knee and employs the slog sweep. The ball takes the top edge and goes miles up in the air but fails to get the distance. Ryder at long on gets under it and takes it well. Pietersen c Ryder b Rahul Sharma 27(21) [4s-1 6s-2]

Rahul Sharma to Pietersen, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

Rahul Sharma [1.0-0-9-0] is back into the attack

10.6 Luke Wright to Sehwag, SIX, flat and over the ropes! Pitched up on leg stump. Sehwag gets under the ball and swings it across the line over the ropes at backward square leg for a maximum

10.5 Luke Wright to Pietersen, 1 run, back of a length delivery angled in on middle and leg. Pietersen drives it with an angled bat to deep mid wicket for a single

10.4 Luke Wright to Sehwag, 1 run, length ball on the pads. Sehwag paddles it around the corner to short fine leg for a single

10.3 Luke Wright to Sehwag, 2 runs, fuller length delivery on middle and leg. Sehwag whips it away to long on for a couple

10.2 Luke Wright to Pietersen, 1 run, pitched up on leg stump. Pietersen backs away and drives it off the front foot to long off for a single

10.1 Luke Wright to Sehwag, 1 run, back of a length delivery on the off stump. Sehwag pulls it away to long on for a single

Luke Wright [1.0-0-12-0] is back into the attack

9.6 Kartik to Sehwag, 1 run, shorter outside the off stump. Sehwag comes down the track and cuts it gently to point for a single to bring up his half century. So consecutive half centuries for Sehwag

9.5 Kartik to Sehwag, FOUR, poor bowling this! Full toss outside the off stump. Sehwag slaps it over the bowler's head, straight down the ground for a boundary

9.4 Kartik to Sehwag, no run, flatter on middle and leg. Sehwag tries to whip it away to the on side but gets an inside edge onto his pads

9.3 Kartik to Pietersen, 1 run, on middle and leg. Pietersen drives it to long on

9.2 Kartik to Pietersen, 2 runs, pushed through outside the off stump. Pietersen drives it powerfully to deep extra cover. Luke Wright the man there puts in the dive to stop the ball from crossing the ropes

9.1 Kartik to Sehwag, 1 run, pushed through outside the off stump. Sehwag pulls it away to deep mid wicket for a single

8.6 Rahul Sharma to Pietersen, no run, flighted on middle and leg. Pietersen gets down on one knee and tries to sweep but misses it and gets struck on the pads

8.5 Rahul Sharma to Pietersen, SIX, done with such ease! Drifiting into middle and leg. Pietersen gets under the delivery and just lofts it into the stands at long on for a maximum

8.4 Rahul Sharma to Sehwag, 1 run, pushed through outside the off stump. Sehwag cuts it to sweeper cover

8.3 Rahul Sharma to Sehwag, leg byes, FOUR, Rahul Sharma slips this down the leg side. Sehwag tries to glance it off his pads but misses and the ball takes the pad and goes down to fine leg for a boundary

8.2 Rahul Sharma to Pietersen, 1 run, on the off stump. Pitches and turns away from the right hander. Pietersen slaps it to cover. The fielder puts in a dive and gets a hand to it but the ball trickles away to extra cover for a single

8.1 Rahul Sharma to Sehwag, 1 run, flat outside the off stump. Sehwag pulls it across the line to long on for a single

Rahul Sharma, right-arm leg break, comes into the attack

7.6 Kartik to Sehwag, 1 run, tossed up on the leg stump. Sehwag tucks it away to deep square leg for a single

7.5 Kartik to Pietersen, 1 run, slightly flatter on the off stump. Pietersen backs away and cuts it to sweeper cover

7.4 Kartik to Pietersen, no run, on the off stump. Pietersen pushes it back to the bowler

7.3 Kartik to Sehwag, 1 run, dropped short on the off stump. Sehwag flat bats/chips it to long off for a single

7.2 Kartik to Sehwag, no run, flighted on the off stump. Sehwag drives it on the up to the man at cover

7.1 Kartik to Pietersen, 1 run, tossed up on the off stump. Pietersen waits on it and cuts it away to sweeper cover for a single

Murali Kartik, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack

I don't think Ganguly would like to bowl too many after that over. He would be better off giving the ball to the likes of Kartik and Sharma. Time for the strategic time out now

6.6 Ganguly to Sehwag, FOUR, beautiful placement! Back of a length on leg stump. Sehwag waits on it and whips it away off his pads between midwicket and long on for a boundary

6.5 Ganguly to Pietersen, 1 run, length ball angled in on leg stump. Pietersen backs away and drives it to long off for a single

6.4 Ganguly to Pietersen, no run, length delivery on middle, angling in to the right hander. Pietersen pushes at it and gets the inside edge onto his pads

6.3 Ganguly to Sehwag, 1 run, slow and back of a length on middle and leg. Sehwag backs away and pushes it gently past the bowler, to long on for a single

6.2 Ganguly to Sehwag, 2 runs, back of a length delivery on the off stump. Sehwag backs away and drives it with some power to deep extra cover for a couple

6.1 Ganguly to Sehwag, FOUR, poor start from Ganguly! Short outside the off stump. Sehwag backs away and cuts it hard to deep backward point for a boundary

Sourav Ganguly, right-arm medium, comes into the attack

Surprise surprise Dada into the attack. Perhaps he wants to repeat his antics and knock over Pietersen

5.6 Nehra to Pietersen, SIX, nice shot that! Pitched up on middle and leg. Pietersen picks the length early, gets onto the front foot and swings through the line of the delivery to send the ball to long on for a maximum

The umpires are checking for a six here. It seems to have hit the ropes on the full

5.5 Nehra to Pietersen, FOUR, straight as an arrow that one! Good length delivery on middle and off. Pietersen gets on top of the bounce and drives it on the up, straight down the ground for a boundary

5.4 Nehra to Sehwag, 1 run, length ball on the off stump. Sehwag drives it on the up to mid off for a single

5.3 Nehra to Sehwag, no run, length ball on the off stump. Sehwag defnds it off the front foot

5.2 Nehra to Sehwag, no run, an absolute peach from Nehra! Good length delivery on middle and off. The ball pitches and moves away from Sehwag just a fraction. Sehwag tries to fend at it but gets beaten

5.1 Nehra to Sehwag, FOUR, powerful shot that! Lenght ball wide outside the off stump. Sehwag throws his bat at it and takes one hand off the grip in the process but the ball races away rather quickly to deep backward point for a boundary

4.6 Luke Wright to Pietersen, no run, pitched up a little more on middle and leg. Pietersen drives it with an angled bat to the man at mid-wicket

4.5 Luke Wright to Pietersen, no run, slower delivery on the off stump. Pietersen pushes it back gently to the bowler

4.4 Luke Wright to Sehwag, 1 run, good length delivery on the off stump. Sehwag taps it to short third man for a single

4.3 Luke Wright to Sehwag, SIX, Sehwag seems to be enjoying Luke Wright's bowling! Slower one, pitched up on middle and off. In the slot for Sehwag who gets under it and swings through the line to send it sailing over the ropes at long on

4.2 Luke Wright to Sehwag, FOUR, poor delivery by Luke Wright! Length delivery on the pads. Sehwag whips it off his pads to send the ball to fine leg for a boundary

4.1 Luke Wright to Pietersen, 1 run, good length delivery on the off stump. Pietersen pushes it with an angled bat to mid on for a comfortable single

Luke Wright, right-arm medium, comes into the attack

3.6 Nehra to Sehwag, FOUR, streaky boundary for Sehwag! Back of a length on the off stump. Sehwag tries to heave it away to the on side but gets an inside edge that goes just past the stumps and races away to the fine leg fence

3.5 Nehra to Pietersen, 1 run, pitched up on the off stump. Pietersen drives it along the ground to mid off for a single

3.4 Nehra to Pietersen, no run, fuller length delivery on middle. Pietersen pushes it to the man at mid-on

3.3 Nehra to Sehwag, 1 run, on middle and leg. Sehwag flicks it away to to square leg. Hesitation from Sehwag again but he eventually goes for a single

3.2 Nehra to Sehwag, 2 runs, short on the off stump. Sehwag pulls it up in the air over Ganguly at mid-on and the ball trickles away to long on allowing the batsmen to pick up a couple

3.1 Nehra to Sehwag, FOUR, nice piece of timing from Sehwag! Length delivery on middle and leg. Sehwag hops in his crease and clips it off his pads to deep mid wicket for a boundary

2.6 Alfonso Thomas to Pietersen, no run, fuller length delivery on the off stump. Pietersen pushes it to the man at mid-off

Kevin Pietersen, right handed bat, comes to the crease

2.5 Alfonso Thomas to Sehwag, out Mahela Jayawardene Run Out!!A lot of confusion in the middle! Length ball on middle and leg. Sehwag clips it away to square leg. Mahela Jayawardene wants a single and comes halfway down the wicket. Sehwag first thinks about sending his partner back but then comes half way down as well. The batsmen almost have a round table conference at the middle of the pitch before Sehwag crosses Mahela. The throw comes in at the striker's end and Uthappa takes off the bails to send Mahela packing. Mahela Jayawardene run out (Luke Wright/Uthappa) 18(14) [4s-3]

Alfonso Thomas to Sehwag, THATS OUT!! Run Out!!

Comical mix up between the two batsmen. There's been a run out and it looks like Mahela will have to depart

2.4 Alfonso Thomas to Mahela Jayawardene, 1 run, back of a length delivery outside the off stump. Mahela Jayawardene opens the face of the bat and runs it down to third man

2.3 Alfonso Thomas to Mahela Jayawardene, 2 runs, pitched up a little more on middle and off. Mahela Jayawardene strikes through the line, straight down the ground for a couple

2.2 Alfonso Thomas to Mahela Jayawardene, FOUR, short on middle. Mahela Jayawardene pulls it away powerfully to long on for a boundary

2.1 Alfonso Thomas to Mahela Jayawardene, no run, Mahela Jayawardene flicks it to the man at mid-wicket

1.6 Nehra to Mahela Jayawardene, 1 run, short and straight, Mahela mistimes a pull to square leg for one

1.5 Nehra to Mahela Jayawardene, FOUR, wrong line, errs as he strays down the leg side, Mahela clips it to fine leg for a boundary

1.4 Nehra to Mahela Jayawardene, no run, tight line on the off stump, Mahela blocks it to the off side

1.3 Nehra to Mahela Jayawardene, no run, around off stump and a bit of bounce, Mahela gets a leading edge that lobs to point

1.2 Nehra to Sehwag, 1 run, good length on off, Sehwag pats it to mid off for one

1.1 Nehra to Mahela Jayawardene, 1 run, full and on the pads, Mahela pushes it to square leg for a quick single

0.6 Alfonso Thomas to Mahela Jayawardene, leg byes, 1 run, length ball on leg stump. Mahela Jayawardene tries to flick it away but misses and gets struck on his thigh pad. The ball trickles away to square leg and the batsmen scamper through for a single

0.5 Alfonso Thomas to Mahela Jayawardene, no run, fuller length delivery on the off stump. Mahela Jayawardene pushes it to the man at cover

0.4 Alfonso Thomas to Mahela Jayawardene, FOUR, slower bouncer on middle. Mahela Jayawardene waits on it, gets on top of the bounce and pulls it away to fine leg for a boundary

0.2 Alfonso Thomas to Mahela Jayawardene, 1 run, back of a length delivery on the off stump. Mahela Jayawardene turns it away to square leg for a single

0.2 Alfonso Thomas to Mahela Jayawardene, wide, length ball angled down the leg side. Mahela Jayawardene tries to pull it away but can't get to the ball and the umpire signals a wide

0.1 Alfonso Thomas to Mahela Jayawardene, no run, good length delivery outside the off stump. A hint of away swing for the bowler. Mahela Jayawardene lets it go through to the keeper

Mahela Jayawardene and Sehwag are at the crease. Mahela Jayawardene is on strike. Alfonso Thomas will open the attack

The players are back out in the middle and are ready for the second part of the match. Steven Smith looks to be suffering of dehydration or perhaps an upset stomach and has gone off the field

It has been brilliant display of batting by Manish Pandey and Uthappa on this sluggish wicket, especially after they were two down for just one run. The run rate was well below six at halfway stage and it was very difficult to time the ball. The batsmen applied themselves and went after the bowlers in a smart way in the last few overs and 146 is what they managed to get. The total might seem moderate, but mind you, the wicket isn't best suited for batting. However, with the likes of Sehwag, Ross and KP, the wicket shouldn't matter much. Let's find out how they go about their chase. Do join us back in a short while.

19.6 Morne Morkel to Manish Pandey, 2 runs, slower ball to end the innings, Manish Pandey strokes it to long on and calls for two straight away, quick running between the wickets help them complete it with ease

19.4 Morne Morkel to Uthappa, 1 run, third umpire was called for a caught behind appeal! Uthappa swung across the line, got a bottom edge, the ball bumped and carried to the keeper, superb one handed catch by Ojha diving to his left, third umpire takes his time and calls it 'Not Out', they sneak a single. Now, that's smart cricket!

19.3 Morne Morkel to Uthappa, 2 runs, a mis-hit from Uthappa, doesn't carry! Uthappa didn't pick the slower one, the bottom hand came off as he mistimed it towards vacant mid on region, excellent running this, they've batted for almost 20 overs, and they have run two.

19.2 Morne Morkel to Manish Pandey, 1 run, fuller one outside the off stump, Manish Pandey gets the bat down and opens the blade, goes off the outer half to third man

19.1 Morne Morkel to Manish Pandey, byes, FOUR, these leg stump yorkers are proving to be very costly for the Daredevils! Another lethal one down the leg, Manish Pandey was a tad late in bringing the bat down, deflects off his boot and goes to the fine leg boundary, the umpire signals 'byes'

18.6 Umesh Yadav to Uthappa, 2 runs, good yorker length delivery again, Uthappa jams the bat down and digs it wide of backward point, they collect two

18.5 Umesh Yadav to Uthappa, FOUR, Uthappa takes the fuller one and goes inside out over extra cover, struck over the infield and in the gap between extra cover and long off, goes rocketing into the fence

18.4 Umesh Yadav to Uthappa, no run, Uthappa walks well across and lets it go at the last moment looking at the ball going outside the wide line, but the umpire doesn't call it a wide, he saw where Uthappa was standing and reckons he should not call it a wide, Uthappa isn't happy

18.2 Umesh Yadav to Manish Pandey, no run, peach! Yorker just outside off, perfect ball to be bowling at the death, Manish Pandey jams his bat down and digs it to the off side

18.1 Umesh Yadav to Manish Pandey, 2 runs, looks for the yorker again, Manish Pandey drills it past the bowler, that went too quickly, Umesh Yadav couldn't stop it and they take two runs as long on cuts it down

They were 1/2 at one stage and it has been a great batting display from these two. There are big hitters waiting in the hut, but it will be really tough for a new batsman to come and start slogging straight away. The wicket is very slow and these two have done well to hang in there.

17.5 Morne Morkel to Uthappa, 1 run, Uthappa drills the low full toss to long on, only a single

17.4 Morne Morkel to Uthappa, 2 runs, a well made FIFTY for Uthappa! Uthappa gets down on his knee, scoops it over short fine, the ball went a long way in the air and cleared the man at short fine who was running back

17.3 Morne Morkel to Uthappa, FOUR, Uthappa pulls a short ball just wide of Nagar at long on, he dives, gets his hand to it but doesn't prevent the boundary, back to back boundaries for Uthappa

17.2 Morne Morkel to Uthappa, FOUR, can't help but feel for the bowler! It was a great delivery, yorker down the leg stump as Uthappa backed away, goes off the inside edge to the fine leg boundary, Morne Morkel has his hands on his head

17.1 Morne Morkel to Manish Pandey, 1 run, slower ball, Manish Pandey chips it to long on, the fielder collects it on one bounce

Morne Morkel [2.0-0-11-1] is back into the attack

The Indian hockey team is at the Sahara Stadium today watching this game. They have qualified for the Olympics now.

16.6 Umesh Yadav to Uthappa, no run, shorter one bowled outside the off stump, Uthappa backs away looking to swat that down the wicket, mistimes it back to the bowler, came off the under edge, 11 off that over!

16.5 Umesh Yadav to Manish Pandey, 1 run, in the blockhole outside the off stump, Manish Pandey gets the bat down and runs it down to third man

16.4 Umesh Yadav to Manish Pandey, FOUR, Umesh Yadav bowls a full toss trying to get the yorker in, Manish Pandey opens the blade and slices it to the third man boundary, this is turning out to be the kind of over they wanted to get

16.3 Umesh Yadav to Manish Pandey, FOUR, too full and outside the off stump, Manish Pandey swings and gets it over mid wicket, good shot that! Did well to get under it and hit that with perfection

16.2 Umesh Yadav to Uthappa, 1 run, too full, Uthappa drills it to KP at long on, only a single, brings up the 100 run partnership

15.6 Pawan Negi to Manish Pandey, 1 run, Manish Pandey comes down and drives it on the up to long on

15.5 Pawan Negi to Uthappa, 1 run, Uthappa reverse sweeps again, can't beat the fielder at short third, he was looking to get it between the fielder and the keeper, misses out

15.4 Pawan Negi to Manish Pandey, 1 run, catch dropped by Pawan Negi! Third time Manish Pandey has been dropped, fielding hasn't been up to the mark for Delhi Daredevils today, Manish Pandey made room and slapped it very hard, Pawan Negi drops it and lets the ball go though him, results in a single

15.3 Pawan Negi to Uthappa, 1 run, strikes it hard again, straight to extra cover, Mahela fails to stop it, and they sneak a single

15.2 Pawan Negi to Uthappa, no run, Uthappa charges down the wicket and drives it back to the bowler, he does well to move to his right and stop it, the non striker was also in the way, Pawan Negi did well

15.1 Pawan Negi to Uthappa, no run, Uthappa goes for the reverse sweep, out of the middle of the bat, but straight to the man at backward point

Pawan Negi [3.0-0-18-0] is back into the attack

The 2nd strategy break has been taken

14.6 Irfan Pathan to Manish Pandey, SIX, pulled off the backfoot and that's gone over the fielder! Too short, Manish Pandey had all the time in the world to rock back and bring in the pull, there was a man near the cow corner, he was a couple of paces ahead of the ropes, might have been a catch if he stood at the edge, a relatively flatter six compared to the ones Manish Pandey hit earlier, 14 runs off this over

14.5 Irfan Pathan to Manish Pandey, 2 runs, top shot! Drives hard past the bowler, Mahela dives and puts in an acrobatic effort to save the boundary, Manish Pandey reaches his FIFTY, brilliant innings under pressure from the young man, excellent save nevertheless from Mahela!

14.4 Irfan Pathan to Uthappa, byes, 1 run, Uthappa looks to reverse sweep, the slower one was bowled well outside the off stump, the keeper who was standing forward couldn't collect it, short third man keeps it down to one

14.3 Irfan Pathan to Uthappa, 2 runs, Uthappa makes a lot of room looking to drive it through cover, gets a thick inside edge towards short fine leg, gets two more

14.2 Irfan Pathan to Manish Pandey, 1 run, Manish Pandey pushes it with an open face, goes wide of short third man

14.1 Irfan Pathan to Manish Pandey, 2 runs, great fielding at long on by KP!! Manish Pandey lofted it over the bowler's head, again one hand came off the bat, it was heading towards the boundary until KP ran across and flicked it back with one hand, brilliant stuff!

Irfan Pathan [3.0-0-10-1] is back into the attack

13.6 Shahbaz Nadeem to Uthappa, FOUR, Uthappa backs away, punches it to long on, should not have been more than two runs as the fielder had to cover some distance to his left, bends down and makes a mess of it, flicks it towards the boundary ropes, spoils a good over

13.5 Shahbaz Nadeem to Manish Pandey, 1 run, Manish Pandey goes back and cracks it to long on

13.4 Shahbaz Nadeem to Manish Pandey, no run, Shahbaz Nadeem puts him down, easy catch dropped by the bowler! Manish Pandey struck it hard and straight back, Shahbaz Nadeem tried to take it with both hands, had to move his hand to the left, does it and the ball doesn't stick, 2nd life for Manish Pandey

13.3 Shahbaz Nadeem to Uthappa, 1 run, Uthappa stays on the backfoot and crunches it to long off

13.2 Shahbaz Nadeem to Uthappa, no run, Uthappa comes charging down the wicket and Shahbaz Nadeem holds the length back slightly, slapped back to the bowler

12.6 Umesh Yadav to Manish Pandey, 1 run, nice line and length, directed towards Manish Pandey again, makes room and slaps it to long on, 13 came off that over!

12.5 Umesh Yadav to Manish Pandey, no run, Manish Pandey steers the length ball to backward point and looks for a single, Ross was quick towards the ball, Manish Pandey had to turn back and make his ground, does well, even a direct hit wouldn't have put him in any trouble

12.4 Umesh Yadav to Manish Pandey, SIX, that seemed like a mis-hit , but it has carried all the way! Full and wide, Manish Pandey had to reach out for it, the bottom hand came off the bat as he played at that, but got it out of the meat of the blade, clears Jayawardene at long off, much needed biggie that!

12.3 Umesh Yadav to Uthappa, 1 run, Umesh Yadav tries a bouncer, Uthappa draws his bat close and runs it down to third man

12.2 Umesh Yadav to Manish Pandey, 1 run, good comeback, short of a good length and directed towards the body, Manish Pandey stands on his toes and punches it down to long on

12.1 Umesh Yadav to Manish Pandey, FOUR, unlucky as far as the bowler is concerned, but he shouldn't be bowling those when there is no third man, wide outside the off stump, Manish Pandey slashed at it trying to run down to third man, goes off the outside edge, there's no stopping that

Umesh Yadav [1.0-0-7-0] is back into the attack

11.6 Shahbaz Nadeem to Manish Pandey, 1 run, Manish Pandey steers one to backward point and sets off, Uthappa had to hurry, the dive saves him in the end, the keeper removed the bails but replays showed that he was well home

11.5 Shahbaz Nadeem to Manish Pandey, FOUR, top shot! Manish Pandey slaps it over the bowler's head, the ball swirls in the air and for a moment when one thought it would go towards long on, it goes straight and races away to the boundary

11.4 Shahbaz Nadeem to Uthappa, 1 run, that one turned big! Uthappa came down the wicket, pitched on leg and turned across, Uthappa adjusted and punched it to long off

11.2 Shahbaz Nadeem to Manish Pandey, no run, Manish Pandey makes room and Shahbaz Nadeem follows him, Manish Pandey gets his bat down and dabs it to the on side

11.1 Shahbaz Nadeem to Uthappa, 1 run, Uthappa backs away and pushes it through extra cover, long off keeps it down to one

10.6 Pawan Negi to Uthappa, 1 run, Uthappa charges down the wicket and swings through the line, doesn't time it well, the ball goes angling to long on

10.5 Pawan Negi to Manish Pandey, 1 run, Manish Pandey leans and drives it with soft hands to long off

10.4 Pawan Negi to Uthappa, 1 run, Uthappa slaps it off the backfoot to sweeper cover, brings up the 50 run partnership between these two

10.3 Pawan Negi to Uthappa, no run, Uthappa drives it straight back to the bowler this time

10.2 Pawan Negi to Uthappa, no run, pushed back towards the non striker

10.1 Pawan Negi to Uthappa, no run, good shout for LBW! That looked pretty close, not given! Uthappa was looking to sweep, pitches on leg and middle, turns across and traps Uthappa on the back thigh as he misses it, it would have gone on to hit middle and off, lucky!

9.6 Shahbaz Nadeem to Manish Pandey, no run, stump to stump line, Manish Pandey comes down the wicket and plays it back to the bowler

9.5 Shahbaz Nadeem to Manish Pandey, no run, leading edge but safe! That one turned across again, Manish Pandey was looking to play across, went off the leading edge towards short cover, didn't carry

9.4 Shahbaz Nadeem to Uthappa, 1 run, Uthappa opens the blade and helps it to third man, played it late, Manish Pandey calls for it and completes it with ease

9.3 Shahbaz Nadeem to Manish Pandey, 1 run, Manish Pandey is looking like he's lost his concentration lately, gets a thick inside edge as he was looking to drive it through cover, the ball goes towards short mid wicket

9.2 Shahbaz Nadeem to Uthappa, 1 run, Uthappa opens the face and steers it to point, he will get a single

8.6 Pawan Negi to Manish Pandey, 1 run, Manish Pandey pulls it off the backfoot to mid wicket, retains the strike with that run

8.5 Pawan Negi to Manish Pandey, no run, Manish Pandey plays this one off the backfoot, cut to the point fielder

8.4 Pawan Negi to Uthappa, 1 run, Uthappa pushes one to long on

8.3 Pawan Negi to Uthappa, no run, Uthappa looks to whip it off the backfoot, goes off the body to the off side

8.2 Pawan Negi to Manish Pandey, 1 run, catch dropped by KP!! Dear lord, can you believe it? It was one of the simplest of catches, to be fair to KP, he might have missed it in the background at the lat moment, Manish Pandey swung through the line to long on, towards KP's midriff, didn't judge it, the ball hit his body and fell down, Manish Pandey survives

8.1 Pawan Negi to Uthappa, 1 run, angled in, too full, Uthappa digs it towards mid wicket, wanted two initially, but the fielder at deep mid was quick to run forward and pick it up

7.6 Shahbaz Nadeem to Uthappa, 1 run, punches it off the backfoot to long on, there are two fielders over there, one at long on, and one near the cow corner if the ball is hit aerial

7.5 Shahbaz Nadeem to Manish Pandey, 1 run, nicely helps a flighted delivery to long on, ambles across the turf for a single

7.4 Shahbaz Nadeem to Manish Pandey, no run, Manish Pandey was looking for the almighty pull, hit on the body, he thought the ball would bounce a tad more, which didn't happen

7.3 Shahbaz Nadeem to Manish Pandey, no run, fuller one to Manish Pandey, he plays it back to the right of Shahbaz Nadeem with soft hands

7.2 Shahbaz Nadeem to Uthappa, 1 run, trifle short again, Uthappa goes back, swats it off the toe end to long on

7.1 Shahbaz Nadeem to Uthappa, no run, Uthappa goes back, waits for it to turn and slaps it straight to the fielder at short cover

Shahbaz Nadeem, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack

And there arrives the Strategy break. The innings is slowly gaining momentum. More spin now, Nadeem into the attack. The lad has bowled really well thus far in the IPL, but both these batsmen are fairly good players of spin. What's in store now?

6.6 Pawan Negi to Uthappa, 1 run, short again, around the off and middle, Uthappa backs away and flat bats it to long on

6.5 Pawan Negi to Uthappa, FOUR, Pawan Negi can't give that much width! Someone needs to tell him, Uthappa goes back and creates the extra room before cutting it behind point this time around, Morne Morkel at deep point ran to his left but had no chance

6.4 Pawan Negi to Uthappa, FOUR, rank half tracker! Like bread and butter, it was idli and sambar stuff for the South Indian, goes back and takes his time before slapping it through cover, sweeper cover had no chance

6.2 Pawan Negi to Uthappa, 1 run, slightly short, Uthappa goes back and plays very late, chops it through cover

6.1 Pawan Negi to Uthappa, no run, some turn straight away, turns across as Uthappa stretched forward, tapped down the wicket

Pawan Negi, left-arm orthodox, comes into the attack

The fielding restrictions are lifted now. Sehwag brings on Negi.

5.6 Morne Morkel to Uthappa, 1 run, Uthappa gets an inside edge as he tries to work it towards mid on, the ball goes towards mid wicket and a single would mean that they've scored 10 runs off the over.

5.5 Morne Morkel to Manish Pandey, 1 run, Manish Pandey closes the face slightly and works it wide of mid on

5.4 Morne Morkel to Uthappa, 1 run, Morne Morkel pitches it up again, Uthappa drives it with soft hands towards KP at mid off and collects another quick single, they are showing some good understanding out in the middle now

5.3 Morne Morkel to Manish Pandey, 1 run, fuller one again, Manish Pandey dabs it towards mid on and sets off for a quick single

5.2 Morne Morkel to Manish Pandey, no run, stays low as it nips back from outside the off stump, Manish Pandey lets it go

5.1 Morne Morkel to Manish Pandey, SIX, excellent timing! For a moment, I thought it will go straight to mid off but my word! He has hit that from the sweet spot of the bat, fuller ball, Manish Pandey just leant forward and lifted it, effortlessly played, carries all the way over the advertising hoardings towards the long off boundary

Morne Morkel [1.0-0-1-1] is back into the attack

4.6 Irfan Pathan to Manish Pandey, 1 run, the wicket is slow, that looked like he was bowling it in slow motion, flicks it in the air through vacant mid wicket, a single to end the over

4.5 Irfan Pathan to Uthappa, 1 run, slower ball from Irfan Pathan, Uthappa pats it to the off side and scampers through for a quickie

4.4 Irfan Pathan to Uthappa, 2 runs, slip was taken out just before this delivery, Uthappa opens the face and runs it down to third man, the fielder had to cover some ground to his left, does so and saves two runs

4.3 Irfan Pathan to Uthappa, no run, length ball angled across again, Uthappa steers it to the point fielder, he is trying to get runs behind square on the off side today, we all know that Uthappa is strong on the leg side, the bowlers are bowling a nice line for him

4.2 Irfan Pathan to Uthappa, no run, on the stumps, Uthappa gets forward and pushes it back to the bowler who bends down to collect

4.1 Irfan Pathan to Uthappa, no run, back of a length and angled outside the off stump, Uthappa was looking to run the ball to third man, it was too wide for his liking, didn't bounce much and it missed the outsde edge of the bat

3.6 Umesh Yadav to Manish Pandey, no run, drags the length back a wee bit, Manish Pandey is happy to defend it off the frontfoot towards point

3.5 Umesh Yadav to Manish Pandey, FOUR, overpitched outside the off stump, Manish Pandey cashes in, leans forward and drives it elegantly through cover, picks the gap and it races away to the boundary in no time

3.4 Umesh Yadav to Uthappa, 1 run, back of a length and outside the off stump, glided down to third man

3.3 Umesh Yadav to Manish Pandey, 1 run, fuller again, outside the off stump this time around, Manish Pandey drives it wide of KP at mid off

3.1 Umesh Yadav to Uthappa, no run, another delivery stays low! Quite shocking, we are still in the 4th over and the wicket is behaving differently, Umesh Yadav pitched it short, Uthappa had to bend down to whip it to short mid wicket

Umesh Yadav, right-arm fast medium, comes into the attack

2.6 Irfan Pathan to Manish Pandey, no run, length ball, Manish Pandey gets forward and pushes it to mid off, doesn't take the single

2.5 Irfan Pathan to Manish Pandey, FOUR, bad ball and dispatched with ease! Short and at a friendly pace, Manish Pandey rocks back and pulls it from outside the off stump, gets it over mid wicket and the ball bounces a couple of times before it crosses the boundary

2.4 Irfan Pathan to Manish Pandey, no run, short ball from Irfan Pathan, pulled straight to mid wicket, the fielder does well to collect it cleanly, it pitched just in front of him and he had to gauge the bounce

2.3 Irfan Pathan to Uthappa, 1 run, short of length and angled across, Uthappa dabs it wide of the fielder at backward point, scampers through for a single, easily done in the end

2.2 Irfan Pathan to Uthappa, no run, fuller one outside the off stump, driven to mid off, picks the fielder

2.1 Irfan Pathan to Uthappa, no run, outside the off stump, Uthappa looks to run it down to third man, the ball goes past the outside edge

1.6 Morne Morkel to Uthappa, 1 run, pitched outside the off stump, back of a length delivery, Uthappa opens the blade and runs it down to third man

1.5 Morne Morkel to Uthappa, no run, length ball outside the off stump, Uthappa gets forward and defends it to cover, no proper co-ordination again, Uthappa was looking for the single, there was no way he could have completed it, rightly sent back by Manish Pandey

1.4 Morne Morkel to Uthappa, no run, another one goes off the outer half of the bat to backward point, they decide against the single quite early

1.3 Morne Morkel to Uthappa, no run, mix up between these two lads from Karnataka as Uthappa plunged forward and pushed it to backward point, the fielder dives to his left and stops it, Manish Pandey wanted the single, he has half way down, Uthappa sends him back, thankfully the fielder didn't pick the ball up quickly

Robin Uthappa, right handed bat, comes to the crease

1.2 Morne Morkel to Ganguly, out Caught by Shahbaz Nadeem!! Oh dear! Poor shot to be honest, he hadn't got his eye in as yet, makes room looking to slice it over backward point, gets it out of the outer half and the ball goes flying in the air straight down the throat of Shahbaz Nadeem at third man, big blow for Pune Warriors - their captain goes for just one run. Ganguly c Shahbaz Nadeem b Morne Morkel 1(4)

Morne Morkel to Ganguly, THATS OUT!! Caught!!

1.1 Morne Morkel to Ganguly, no run, back of a length and angled across Ganguly, he leans and drives it to backward point, straight to the fielder though

Morne Morkel, right-arm fast, comes into the attack

0.6 Irfan Pathan to Manish Pandey, no run, Irfan Pathan is making it a habit to bowl nice and tight at the start of the innings, this one was angled across luring Manish Pandey forward, he pats it to cover point

0.5 Irfan Pathan to Manish Pandey, no run, fuller one to Manish Pandey, moves inwards as he defends it to the off side

0.3 Irfan Pathan to Ganguly, no run, on a length and around the off stump, Ganguly gets forward and defends it with straight bat

Sourav Ganguly, left handed bat, comes to the crease

0.2 Irfan Pathan to Ryder, out Bowled!! A cracker of a delivery to get rid of the in form Ryder and Delhi draw first blood. The ball stood low, shaped away ever so slightly after pitching on middle, Ryder was pushing at it outside the off stump, the ball took the bottom edge and later found the stumps. Not the kind of start Pune wanted. He was looking too casual, Jesse Ryder and he has to pay for it. Ryder b Irfan Pathan 0(2)

Irfan Pathan to Ryder, THATS OUT!! Bowled!!

0.1 Irfan Pathan to Ryder, no run, pitches it up on the middle and off, some hint of away movement, Ryder gets forward and taps it down the wicket

Ryder and Manish Pandey are at the crease. Ryder is on strike. Irfan Pathan will open the attack

New opening combination this, for Pune Warriors. A right move, I would say. Manish Pandey comes out with the in form Jesse Ryder. Irfan Pathan to start the proceedings.

Pietersen: The wicket looks good to bat on as Sehwag said. We have some great batsmen and there's pressure on everybody to perform. We can't take it lightly. Hopefully we will win this game.

Pune Warriors have won the toss and elected to bat

Sehwag: When you're doing well, you should look to be consistent. Unfortunately, we lost against Pune last time, hopefully we'll win today. I don't think we are the favorites, there are other teams as well. If we play to our potentials, we must do well. The wicket looks good. We can't control the toss. We are playing with the same team.

Ganguly: We've played well in this tournament, still early days. We have played the big teams and we have done well. It was important to get runs, I picked wickets as well, it is very important. It is going to be a good wicket, it is a new surface. We'll bat first. We have one change, Luke Wright is in for Mathews.

Alright, toss time finally!

Howdy folks! A warm welcome to one and all. The last time Delhi and Pune locked horns at the Kotla, it was entertainment unlimited. Pune Warriors, inspired by Ganguly's brilliance, outperformed the Delhi Daredevils despite Sehwag's sparkling fifty. Can they repeat the same? It won't be too easy - the Delhi batting line-up has some big names in Virender Sehwag, Kevin Pietersen, Mahela Jayawardene and Ross Taylor. Pune Warriors too, are filled with T20 specialists, barring Ganguly one would say. You wouldn't want to miss this game. Stay logged in, we'll be back soon with more updates.

Preview

Pune Warriors would look to extend their good run while table-toppers Delhi Daredevils would have revenge on their mind when the two teams square off in the Indian Premier League on Tuesday.

The Daredevils have been a dominating team in the league till the defeat against Pune in their last match. They have won four of their six matches so far on the back of a solid all-round performance.

While Delhi have been a force right from the start, Pune have gradually shifted gears. They have worked hard as a unit and have a good skipper in Sourav Ganguly, who knows the art of getting the best out of his players.

Still, it will be challenge for him to continue with the good work as they have a very strong batting, the top-order of which is packed with at least four big-hitting batsmen, to contend with.

All top Daredevils batsmen, Skipper Virender Sehwag, Kevin Pietersen, Mahela Jayawardene and Ross Taylor, are in good nick. However, their bowlers hold the key in Tuesday's clash as the race to be in top-four is gradually hotting up.

They can chase a big total with these batsmen in the line-up but Twenty20 is a format where two-three overs can change the complexion of a game.

So, the key is to not let Pune score much runs on the board, like they did in the last match by rattling up 192.

Although the track at the Subrata Roy Sahara stadium promises loads of runs, if Delhi bowlers can make early in-roads into Pune line up, it would serve them well.

South African paceman Morne Morkel has been their main bowler so far with 15 scalps and how he fares along with Irfan Pathan would actually shape up the match for them.

Similarly how Pune batsmen handle these two bowlers would have a bearing on the result of this match. Morkel was taken to cleaners by Pune in the last outing and if the host batsmen could maintain their dominance over the Protea, their job would become easy.

A win would perch Pune on the top of the table at least till the result of the other match of the day between Kolkata Knight Riders and Deccan Chargers.

The host would look to openers Jesse Ryder and Robin Uthappa for a good start, which could be capitalised later on by the likes of Ganguly, Steven Smith and Angelo Mathhews.

Experienced duo of ageing paceman Ashish Nehra and spinner Murali Karthik would have to take the responsibility of stopping the Delhi batsmen.